Read 2 Chronicles 31:20-21 Day 1 Day 2 Read John 6:9-13

WEEK 4

READ 2 CHRONICLES 31:20-21 DAY 1

This week we’ll look at four people from the Bible who knew how to get things done. Hezekiah became the King of Judah at just 25 years old. He repaired the temple of the Lord and destroyed all the symbols of the false god Baal. Because of the initiative he showed, Hezekiah turned the people from their wicked ways and put their trust in the one true God. Though the task was a big one, Hezekiah chose to trust God to help him do what needed to be done.

You will probably never wear a crown but you DO have something in common with King Hezekiah. You can choose to trust God to help you do what needs to be done. When you face something that seems REALLY big, will you rely on your own strength? Or will you pray and ask God to help you conquer the task at hand?

Circle three true statements about Hezekiah below:

He was an alpaca farmer He was king of Judah. He followed God. He was a master mine craft builder. He loved jello. He served God in the temple.

THANK God for giving us great examples of people who showed initiative.

READ JOHN 6:9-13 DAY 2

You might have heard or read this story before. Take a minute to imagine yourself as that boy who gave his lunch to Jesus. How would you have responded? Would you offer your lunch as he did? Or would you walk away thinking, “what could one small lunch REALLY do anyway”? The crowd was so large. Surely five small loaves of bread and two small fish wouldn’t make a difference.

But we know the rest of the story. We know that Jesus did multiply that small meal and feed that huge, hungry crowd. They even had leftovers! Aren’t you glad he was willing to trust God to do what needed to be done, even if his offering was small? That young boy had NO idea how God would use his small lunch that day. But because he stepped forward, God performed an amazing miracle.

You will never know how your own act of initiative could affect someone else until you choose to trust God too. So what small thing can you offer this week? How could God use YOUR initiative to help someone else?

ASK God to help you trust him as you show initiative this week.

READ 1 SAMUEL 17:34-37 DAY 3

The story of David and Goliath is one of the coolest stories ever. But it’s not a made up story. It actually happened! David killed a giant armed with only a slingshot and five small stones. Isn’t that unbelievable? To us, maybe. But to David, well, he wasn’t surprised. He’d seen how God had protected him as he cared for his sheep. He knew that God would be with him this time too.

David took the initiative to stand up to Goliath even when everyone else–men who were older, stronger and more heavily armed–refused. He trusted God to help him do what needed to be done to defeat a giant. You can trust God just like David did. When it comes to showing initiative, God wants you to trust Him to help you get the job done.

Head outside and find a small rock to carry with you. When you see something that needs to be done this week, let the rock remind you to show initiative. Say a quick prayer, asking God to help you the way he helped David.

LOOK for ways to take initiative and trust God this week.

READ NEHEMIAH 6:15-16 DAY 4

Nehemiah wasn’t anyone special. He was just a regular guy, doing his job as cupbearer to the king. He didn’t live in Jerusalem at the time. In fact, we don’t know that he’d ever even visited the city. He could have easily ignored the problem. But he didn’t. Nehemiah knew that he had to do something. And because of his initiative, the entire wall around Jerusalem was rebuilt in 52 days. Amazing.

Initiative is seeing what needs to be done and doing it. Initiative isn’t just noticing there’s a problem or a task in front of you. It’s rolling up your sleeves, jumping in with both feet and getting it done. But just like Nehemiah, you don’t have to go it alone. God wants to remind you that He is with you and that you can trust him to complete the job. Always.

KNOW that God will help you show initiative if you choose to trust in Him.